Parallel worlds

[Corcoran]

I checked a book out of the library yesterday called Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and Our Future in the Cosmos. By somebody called Michio Kaku. I believe in alternate realities/worlds but have only ever really come across them in spiriutal and New Agey texts, so I was surprised and quite pleased to find a scientific book covering this topic.

Does anyone else believe in parallel worlds/alternate realities?

 

[Darby]

I checked a book out of the library yesterday called Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and Our Future in the Cosmos. By somebody called Michio Kaku. I believe in alternate realities/worlds but have only ever really come across them in spiriutal and New Agey texts, so I was surprised and quite pleased to find a scientific book covering this topic.

Does anyone else believe in parallel worlds/alternate realities?

Is this a serious post? Somebody called Michio Kaku? Only come across the idea of alternate universes in spiritual and New Agey texts?

 

[Corcoran]

Is this a serious post? Somebody called Michio Kaku? Only come across the idea of alternate universes in spiritual and New Agey texts?

Of course it's a serious post. Why on earth wouldn't it be? I don't understand why you would question that. As I said, the author's name is Michio Kaku and the book explores the idea of parallel worlds; I haven't started reading it yet, so I can't say what its main points are.

And yes, I've only ever come across the idea of alternate realities in the spiritual and New Age books that I've read. (I am a spiritual New Ager after all.) I started getting into New Age beliefs and philosophies when I was about 16 and started reading and researching about astral projection, and that led me into all the other stuff. It's through reading and researching the New Age beliefs that I came across the theory of alternate realities and I have a number of New Age texts that discuss this idea, among others.

Is the alternate reality theory prevalent in scientific texts as well, then? I really wouldn't know, because science isn't my forte. I'm a dreamy, poetical, spiritual person, good at reading and creative writing, stuff like that.

Here is a link to the book on Amazon - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Parallel-Worlds-Science-Alternative-Universes/dp/0141014636/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275082924&sr=1-2

 

[Darby]

Of course it's a serious post. Why on earth wouldn't it be? I don't understand why you would question that. As I said, the author's name is Michio Kaku and the book explores the idea of parallel worlds; I haven't started reading it yet, so I can't say what its main points are.

I questioned the seriousness of the post because I'd have to believe that most people who would read the post and see your reference to the author as "somebody called Michio Kaku" would have a bit of a giggle. The reference, as written, would be taken to mean that you were either pulling their legs by indirectly indicating that you had never heard of Michio Kaku or that you don't get out of the house much. Do you really have no idea who Michio Kaku is (other than an author)?

And then there's the reference to having never seen any references to "alternate universes" in any literature other than New Agey materials. That would be yet another place where people might giggle a bit. Where do you think that the New Agey 60's retreads get the idea of "alternate universes" in the first place? Have you ever heard of quantum mechanics? Been around for about 100 years. Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Max Plank, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger, Paul Dirac, John A Wheeler, Hugh Everett, The Uncertainty Principle, state vectors, probability wave collapse, Copenhagen Interpretation, Many Worlds Interpretation? Any of this ring a bell? If I'd taken this reference seriously it would mean to me, unfortunately, an indication of a rather incomplete formal education as well as a very limited reading list.

So, yes. My question was serious. I really thought that you were joking. If it was serious I can only recommend that you get out of the house more often and maybe get a Kindle and expand the breadth of your reading list a bit. If you can't do that at least try watching the Discovery Channel once in a while (where you might run into Michio Kaku).

 

[Corcoran]

The reference, as written, would be taken to mean that you were either pulling their legs by indirectly indicating that you had never heard of Michio Kaku or that you don't get out of the house much. Do you really have no idea who Michio Kaku is (other than an author)?

I had never heard of Michio Kaku umtil two days ago when I happened upon the book in the library. Should I have? Is he well-known?

I do get out of the house quite often. More than I used to. I didn't used to socialise very much, but going to university (I studied English/Writing) helped bring me out of myself a bit and I now have circle of friends that I hang out with. I like going out to the pub and drinking a bit. I haven't had any alcohol for a while now but I have a friend's engagement party coming up next Saturday so I'll probably get a little drunk then. (Hey, I'm young... /ttiforum/images/graemlins/smile.gif)The last party I went to was a fancy dress one where I dressed as a cross between an angel, a bunny and a hippy.

And then there's the reference to having never seen any references to "alternate universes" in any literature other than New Agey materials. That would be yet another place where people might giggle a bit.

Well, like I said, I don't really read scientific texts, because science in general doesn't interest me much. I do have a great respect for the subject and science/scientists in general but it's not something which interests me hugely. I prefer reading fiction and biographies.

Have you ever heard of quantum mechanics? Been around for about 100 years. Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Max Plank, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger, Paul Dirac, John A Wheeler, Hugh Everett, The Uncertainty Principle, state vectors, probability wave collapse, Copenhagen Interpretation, Many Worlds Interpretation? Any of this ring a bell?

I've heard of quantum mechanics but don't really understand what it's about. Of course I know of Einstein (who doesn't?) and some of the other names you've listed are familiar to me because they were discussed at some length in a Robert Oppenheimer biography that I read recently. I don't know what state vectors, probability wave collapse and the Copenhagen Interpretation are.

it would mean to me, unfortunately, an indication of a rather incomplete formal education as well as a very limited reading list.

Are you in the US? I'm from the UK, and I know our school systems differ quite a bit. I've had a complete education, though - I've been through school, did A-Levels, I went to university (finished last year) and have a degree in English and Writing. Ideally, once I've saved some money, I'd like to go back and do an MA and maybe even a PhD. I haven't studied Maths or Science since I was 16 years old (I went on to do two years of A-Levels which is what people in the UK need to do to get into university. You can do a maximum of 4 A-Levels, a minimum of 3, and you choose which subjects you want to take - I chose English Literature, History and Drama.)

If it was serious I can only recommend that you get out of the house more often and maybe get a Kindle and expand the breadth of your reading list a bit.

My post was most definitely serious, I assure you. But I do get out of the house quite a lot. I see my friends and I party and whatnot.

Also, I do have an extensive reading list. It's not really about science or mathematics but in my opinion, I am well-read (remember - I was an English student! /ttiforum/images/graemlins/smile.gif) As I said, I read a lot of fiction, a lot of biographies and a lot of religious and New Age books, as those are what mainly interest me. Here's a list of some books that I have read, am reading, or plan to read: (note: this is not a complete list, nowhere near, I have read a lot of books.)


The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger. One of my favourites. Great book.

Franny and Zooey - J. D. Salinger

Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters - J. D. Salinger

Seymour: An Introduction - J. D. Salinger

I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg - Bill Morgan. Allen Ginsberg was one of the beat poets, one of his most famous poems being Howl. Was a good friend of Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, etc.

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle. A children's/teenage book, but still one of my favourites. I still like to read children's fiction.

Sophie's Choice - William Styron. I'm reading this at the moment, very good, in my view.

Seth Speaks - the first book in the Seth Material (Seth being a spirit channelled by a lady called Jane Roberts from 1963 until her death in 1984.) Seth is one of my main spiritual teachers and I have learned a lot from his material, particularly the idea that we create our realities through our thoughts, beliefs and feelings.

The Nature of Personal Reality - another Seth book, I've nearly finished it.

Steppenwolf - Hermann Hesse - I started reading this several years ago but never finished it. I intend, at some point, to start again and finish the novel this time.

Narcissus and Goldmund - Hermann Hesse - this is another book I intend to read at some point. It was also a favourite novel of a friend of mine from university who passed away last year, and that's part of the reason why I intend to read it.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig. Haven't started to read this yet but am looking forward to. It looks interesting.

A Beautiful Mind - Sylvia Nasar. I read this when I was 15/16. A biography of the mathematician John Nash who succumbed to schizophrenia at the age of 30 (but has recovered now.)

A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court - Mark Twain. Another book that I've got but have yet to read. It's on my list.

The Way of a Pilgrim - a Russian text that was referenced in Franny and Zooey. Since Salinger obviously liked it, I decided to check it out. He died at the beginning of the year, by the way. RIP, J. D.

Nadja - Andre Breton. This is a Modernist text that I read during my final year at university (2008-2009.) One of my favourite uni texts. Although the Modernism module was hard!

Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street - Michael Davis. This is on my to-read list. I was born in 1988, so I grew up watching Sesame Street. I have very fond memories of the show and still like to watch clips of it on youtube. There's something about the theme song, it just makes me feel so safe and secure...you feel that everything's going to be all right.

Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons. Another book that's on my to-read list. Also another book that my friend (the one who passed away) liked. I very much admired and respected this particular friend which is why I've selected some of his favourite books to read.

The Law of Attraction - this is a text dictated by a group of spiritual entities that are collectively known as Abraham. They are channelled through a lady called Esther Hicks. Some of the ideas are similar to ideas that are raised in the Seth Material.


And there's loads more. This is just a very small list but I can't mention every book here. But as you can see, Darby, my reading list is quite extensive at the moment. /ttiforum/images/graemlins/smile.gif I consider myself to be quite well-read. I also like creative writing, I write stories and poetry and have tried my hand at a bit of script writing.

 

[Darby]

Corcoran,

OK. I'm happy that you were serious, disappointed about the limits of a BA degree in the liberal arts area that didn't REQUIRE physical & biological science, statistics and math through at least 1st year calculus. Oh, well, it is what it is.

Yes, Michio Kaku is "somewhat" well known. He's a professor of physics at CUNY, City University of New York. He's a string theorist, has written many pop-sci physics texts, has his own TV show in New York, appears frequently on Discovery Channel documentaries. He's probably the most well known pop-sci writer in the world today. You've probably seen his photo and don't know it. Long white hair, Japanese-American, looks a bit like Yoda (somewhat taller

).

 

[Corcoran]

OK. I'm happy that you were serious, disappointed about the limits of a BA degree in the liberal arts area that didn't REQUIRE physical & biological science, statistics and math through at least 1st year calculus. Oh, well, it is what it is.

Is that what is required to do a degree in the liberal arts in the States? WOW! I'm half American myself, my mother is from the US, we go there a lot, and I know the basics of the school system there, but not the ins and outs of it.

I'm glad that mathematics and science is not required for an English and Writing degree over here. Perhaps unfortunately, the subjects don't interest me as much as other subjects do. I'm sure you'll agree that everyone has their strong subjects and weaker subjects, though. It's the humanities subjects such as English, History, etc, that I have the talent for, and I find them interesting. You strike me as someone who is interested in mathematics/physics, are you also interested in subjects like English and creative writing, or do you have little interest in that area?

Higher mathematics does seem like it would be interesting. But I know I wouldn't be able to get my head around it. It's just not my strong point. In Maths and Science at school I was average; I attained C grades. It was the best I could do. Conversely, in English and History I would get an A+. Just where my talents lie, I guess.

What did you think of my reading list? Not bad, is it? /ttiforum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Twighlight]

Yes, Michio Kaku is "somewhat" well known. He's a professor of physics at CUNY, City University of New York. He's a string theorist, has written many pop-sci physics texts, has his own TV show in New York, appears frequently on Discovery Channel documentaries.

I haven't read the book in question, but judging by the title it is probably mainly about the prospect of a 'singularity' event in the future. Not the same as a black hole singularity....more of a social thing. One such event would be mankind being able to escape this universe to head for another one. Or in the terminology used by those who advocate this...we'd become transdimensional beings. It's often held up as an answer to Fermi's paradox.........the aliens have all left this universe and gone somewhere better.

 

[Twighlight]

I had never heard of Michio Kaku umtil two days ago when I happened upon the book in the library. Should I have? Is he well-known?

His name is not the easiest to remember......but chances are you've almost certainly seen him at some point on TV. Japanese-American....with an enviable head of hair ( though most is now white ) for someone his age..I think he's 63 now.

Though he promotes science a good deal, and was a co-founder of string theory, a lot of his ideas are somewhat beyond 'mainstream' science and quite speculative. But he manages to do so in quite a charming and rational manner and his enthusiasm for the subject is what keeps the TV channels asking him back.

 

[Corcoran]

His name is not the easiest to remember......but chances are you've almost certainly seen him at some point on TV. Japanese-American....with an enviable head of hair ( though most is now white ) for someone his age..I think he's 63 now.

Maybe, but I don't tend to watch a lot of science-related stuff. I mostly watch sitcoms - Frasier, Cheers and Taxi being some of my favourites and any show that I think is good and light-hearted and fun.

I do watch documentaries sometimes, mostly on famous people that I'm a fan of - the Beatles, the Bee Gees, etc (the photo in my avatar is a photo of the Bee Gees' younger brother, Andy Gibb, when he was a young child.)

Mr Kaku seems like an interesting person, anyhow.

 

[gregoricalogic]

It may just seem to be a dream or possibly a scientific hypothesis but the scientific discoveries on parallel universes is real. I know that this all could mean that what was once the past is the present somewhere else or even a future event is happening also. Lets forget about time travel, lets think about parallel possibilities and the fact that what we know as history is a reality right now somewhere else. I know this sounds strange but after researching parallel universe theories and astrophysics in general this is a reality. All that we knew and know now could as well be happening all at the same time but I only wish I could figure out how. I think that if time traveling is a possibility then this would prove the parallel universe and also different time dimensions. I know most people have unexplained dreams or feeling of being somewhere before. I only ask you that if you can believe in the possibility of time travel than would that not mean that we do live in a parallel universe with the ability to know that what was once there is actually there right now in another dimension?

 

[Skarpz]

And then there's the reference to having never seen any references to "alternate universes" in any literature other than New Agey materials. That would be yet another place where people might giggle a bit. Where do you think that the New Agey 60's retreads get the idea of "alternate universes" in the first place? Have you ever heard of quantum mechanics? Been around for about 100 years. Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Max Plank, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger, Paul Dirac, John A Wheeler, Hugh Everett, The Uncertainty Principle, state vectors, probability wave collapse, Copenhagen Interpretation, Many Worlds Interpretation? Any of this ring a bell? If I'd taken this reference seriously it would mean to me, unfortunately, an indication of a rather incomplete formal education as well as a very limited reading list.

I seriously need to do some research. I've been living in a cave most of my life and not reaching most of what's really out there in the real world. I have come across Michio Kaku when looking at some of what I was researching on my own.

When I get the chance I will look at some of the material on those people and those subjects.

 

[Darby]

I have come across Michio Kaku when looking at some of what I was researching on my own.

Kaku is an good place to start, but don't expect any details. He's an interesting TV personality and writer but his entertainment work is aimed at the mass pop-sci market thus the science in his books is dummied down to about the 6th or 7th grade level.

Enjoy his books. They're fun to read and informative. Just don't jump ot any big conclusions based on his pop-sci writing because he has to leave out about 95% of the science details so that 95% of everyone reading his books can understand them.

 

[Darby]

Is that what is required to do a degree in the liberal arts in the States? WOW! I'm half American myself, my mother is from the US, we go there a lot, and I know the basics of the school system there, but not the ins and outs of it.

I know that Corcoran is long gone but I missed this question last spring.

Yes, those subjects are required in of a liberal arts major. It's the definition of liberal arts. Liberal arts is not the study of liberal politics, it's a cirriculum that requires the student to take upper division courses from every department and school in the university - music, fine arts, literature, foreign anguage, math, science and political science. A well rounded education with no specific major.

The classes I listed in the previous post are required of every student no matter what their major. The difference is that generally only lower division courses in those subjects are required to graduate unless the major requires further upper division study.

 

[Skarpz]

OK. I'm happy that you were serious, disappointed about the limits of a BA degree in the liberal arts area that didn't REQUIRE physical & biological science, statistics and math through at least 1st year calculus. Oh, well, it is what it is.

One of my options for my major is a Liberal Arts one and it requires a physical and biological science class plus two more classes from either of those. So 4 science classes altogether. For liberal arts it looks like you only have to go one class above intermediate Algebra which is College Algebra or a contemporary math around the same level. Doesn't seem like you need to take more than that for math as a liberal arts Major here. This is all before transferring. If I wanted to get into a health profession I'd have to take Trigonometry and physics 201 - general physics. For business, I would have to take Statistics, but probably still no first year Calculus. Seems like engineers and scientists would have to take Calculus and don't know who else would.

Going through college now and have been checking out all the majors that I'd want to go into.

I'll probably come across those scientists and such when I start to take science in about a year or so. Just going through the math, writing, reading, and language requirements first.

 

[Darby]

For liberal arts it looks like you only have to go one class above intermediate Algebra which is College Algebra or a contemporary math around the same level.

The specific math requirement varies somewhat among the different colleges and universities but it usually comes down to basic calculus or College Algebra class for liberal arts or a college level statistics class (calculus based) for social sciences. Get the math requirement out of the way as early as possible. You'll need the background in other classes and if you struggle in the beginning you have a lot more time to get through it as you go along. Getting down to that last semester/quarter and having graduation delayed because of a math class is a bummer (and expensive if you have to register for an additional semester just to take the one class).

If you're starting out at a junior/commuity college get all of your lower division math, English, fine arts, social science and political science out of the way there. It's a lot cheaper than paying 4-year college tuition.